


Forgiveness

by AnotherWriterWhoWrites



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst, Grandparents & Grandchildren
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-26
Updated: 2013-02-26
Packaged: 2017-12-03 17:42:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/700941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnotherWriterWhoWrites/pseuds/AnotherWriterWhoWrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Romano finally gets his chance to speak with his grandfather Rome when he comes to visit his other grandson who he constantly pushed to the side as a child.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forgiveness

Romano didn’t know what to make of the man sitting across the table from him. It was a man he both hated and loved deeply. His grandfather, the Roman Empire.

The fact that the Roman Empire had fallen centuries ago and he was now talking to a ghost made him slightly doubt his mental state at the moment however.

His grandfather looked uncomfortable under Romano’s silent gaze, which was actually more like a glare, and kept shifting in his seat and fiddling with the glass of alcohol in his hands. Romano did have some sort of a sense of how to be a host and had offered his grandfather a drink, that was the only thing he had said to him actually.

Finally Rome looked up and met his gaze, uneven as it was, and cleared his throat. 

“You’ve…you’ve grown quite a bit.” he said.

Romano snorted and took a sip of the wine. “I think that’s supposed to happen from all those centuries.”

“Right…sorry.” Rome said turning his gaze back to the glass.

Romano didn’t know why the man was here. He wanted nothing to do with the elder even if he was his grandfather. The man had showed him basically no love nor attention the time he was there and Romano can truthfully say that he didn’t want to have anything to do with him.

“Why are you even here?” Romano asked.

Rome flinched slightly. “I wanted to come and visit you. I wanted to see my grandson.”

“Then go see Feliciano.” Romano sneered.

“You’re my grandson too.”

Romano laughed. “Yeah and so? We both know who your favorite is and trust me; it’s not the grandson in this room.”

Rome obtained a pained look in his face now. “Lovino…”

“Don’t call me that.” he warned.

“Then what do you want me to call you?” Rome asked.

Romano thought for a moment before shaking his head. “Don’t call me anything. Just leave already.”

“Why are you being such a brat?” Rome asked starting to get angry.

“Why were you such a bad grandfather?” Romano shot back.

Rome grinded his teeth. “I was a great grandfather. I treated you both with nothing but love and respect.”

“Love and respect? Both of us?” Romano laughed again. “Maybe your time up in the clouds made your memories dimmer but I cannot remember a single time were you treated the both of us like that. It was constantly Feliciano this and Feliciano that. I never once saw you praise me like you did with Feliciano. I never saw you hug me or laugh with me or have anything to do with me like you did with Feliciano.”

Rome sighed. “Alright I admit that there were times when I favored Feliciano over you but that doesn’t mean-”

“There were times? It was all the time old man!” Romano yelled.

“Now that’s enough!” Rome yelled his patience ending. “You do not have the right to act like this to me?”

“I don’t have the right? I have all the right!” Romano yelled back. “You left me all the time in the dark and to the side while you and Feliciano went to g-d knows where doing all sorts of things that grandfathers did with their grandsons. You never remembered me! The one time I do remember you ever paying any attention to me was when I had gotten sick and even then you merely gave me some medicine, gave me to some servants, and went off with Feliciano so he wouldn’t get sick too!”

“Romano enough.” Rome tried to order.

“No! This time you‘ll listen to me!” Romano nearly screamed. “Listening to you talk about your grandchildren you might as well as had only one! ‘Oh my oh so cute little Ita-chan did this and that.’” he mimicked his grandfathers voice. “’You should’ve seen the wonderful painting my adorable grandson made for me!’ ‘Oh! My wonderful Ita-chan is so much like me when I was at that age. I just know he’ll grow up to be big and strong just like his grandfather.’”

Romano ignored the tears building in his eyes. His voice cracked and drew to a near whisper “I never once in my entire life of living with you ever, EVER, heard you say a single thing about me. When you went somewhere, simply to the market or the gardens, you always took him with you. When the both of us gave you paintings you always only glanced at mine and picked his up and started to praise it. Before you died who did you take with you?”

“Romano-” Rome tried to start again.

“No it wasn’t Romano. It was Veneziano.” Romano said his fists shaking. “You left me behind to the other countries who knew you were going to fall any day and they were eager that claim your lands. I had to face that while you and Feliciano were off somewhere singing and painting and being happy.”

Romano pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes in an attempt to stop the tears from falling although a few stray ones escaped and ran down his face. “Do you have any fucking clue about what you did to me because of that?” he asked quietly. “Do you have any idea what your consequences were?”

“Romano I‘m sorry.”

“It’s too late!” Romano exploded. “It’s too fucking late you bastard! Where were you when I actually needed you?”

Romano’s hands curled into fists once more. “Why the hell are you even here? You should know that you are one of the last people that I want to see in my entire life! Go see Feliciano! We both know you want to!”

“I already did and I…” Rome’s eyes widened as he realized his mistake.

“See? You already visited your grandson. Go back to heaven already.” Romano said trying to steady his shaking fists.

Rome sighed and started to say something when Romano’s hands obtained his attention. He quickly grabbed them and tried to pry them open. “You’ll hurt yourself!”

Romano looked at his hands. His fists had been so tight that his nails had broken through the skin causing blood to flow down to the ground.

Romano tried to tug his hands out of his grandfather’s grip. “It’s fine. It’ll heal.”

Rome reluctantly allowed Romano to pull back his hands. Romano rubbed his fingers over the cuts and watched as they healed themselves.

Romano turned and started to walk away. “I’ve said all I wanted to say to you. Go back to where you came from.”

“Romano please.” Rome pleaded.

“Please what?” Romano spat.

“I don’t know but please. Don’t leave.” Rome said quietly.

Romano crossed his arms. “Why? What on earth could you have to say to all that? What do you think you can say that’ll make all those years disappear?”

“I know I can’t but-” Rome started only to have Romano interrupt him. “Then there’s nothing really to say is there?”

Rome sighed once more. “Romano.”

“I’m going to ask you some questions.” Romano said suddenly. “And I want you to answer them truthfully. Only the complete and total truth.”

“Alright then, ask.”

“Who do you like more? Me or Feliciano?” he asked.

Rome obtained a pained look on his face. “I don’t think…”

“Answer only.” Romano commanded. “Me? Or Feliciano?”

Rome sighed. “Feliciano.”

Romano nodded. “Next question. Who did you spend the most time with, me or Feliciano?”

“Feliciano.” Rome whispered.

“Who did you praise more?”

“Feliciano.”

“Who did you spend more time with?”

“Feliciano.”

“When you knew you were dying who did you take with you to spend your last few days with?”

“Feliciano.”

Romano sighed heavily trying to relax his body before looking up his grandfather who was in turn staring at the ground. “Okay last question. And I want the real truth.”

Rome hesitated before nodding.

“Tell me the truth.” Romano said quietly. “Did you ever love me?”

Rome’s eyes widened. “Romano. How could you ask me something like that?”

“That’s not an answer old man!” Romano yelled. “Tell me the truth! Did you ever love me?”

“Of course I did!” Rome exclaimed.

“Really?” Romano said quietly. “Because the evidence begs to differ.”

Romano held up his hands and slowly counted off on his fingers. “All those years during our childhood you always pushed me the side and focused entirely on Feliciano.” one finger came up. “You just said you when to visit him first and not me.” another finger came up. “And I couldn’t help but notice that you hesitated when I asked you the last question.” a third finger came up.

“After all that. Why the hell should I trust you in anything really?” Romano asked rhetorically.

Romano brought his hand down and turned around. “Please leave.” he said again and started to leave the living room.

“Romano, wait.” his grandfather started to say.

Romano did stop but he didn’t turn around. “No. I am sick and tired of constantly being pushed to the side for Feliciano. When you were gone and Austria conquered us he pushed me to Spain. When Spain got me he tried his hardest to trade me for Feliciano. Even now. Even though Spain and I are together he nearly constantly still talks about Feliciano. During the war Germany and Prussia paid more attention to Feliciano. After it all the allies were more concerned about Feliciano.” the tears finally started to fall down his face. “I am sick and tired of being constantly pushed to the side to make more room for him. I am tired of always losing to him.” he thought for a moment of Germany. “I am tired of losing someone that I almost loved to him.”

Romano brought his hands up to his eyes once more. “But most of all I’m just tired of everything.”

“Romano.”

“Please.” he choked out. “Please for the love of g-d leave. Leave and let me be.”

The room was silent for a few minutes before Romano could bring the courage to look behind him once more.

The room was empty. For the first time in his life his grandfather had listened to him and left.

And he didn’t know if he was happy or hurt.

Romano gave a choked cry as he began to sob and fell to his knees with his hands clawing into the carpet.

“Nonno.” he whimpered.


End file.
